Korean Demonstratives 이, 그, and 저

In Brief

Korean divides pointing into three zones: 이 refers to something near the speaker, 그 to something near the listener or already mentioned, and 저 to something away from both. Put these forms before a noun, as in 이 책 “this book,” or combine them with 것 “thing” and 곳 “place.”

Overview

A demonstrative is a pointing expression such as “this,” “that,” “here,” or “there.” Korean demonstratives begin with a consistent three-part contrast: 이, 그, and 저. The same contrast appears in expressions for things, places, people, and directions, so learning the pattern gives you a useful family of everyday words rather than three isolated vocabulary items.

This is an A1 grammar point. You will use it while shopping, identifying people, asking about unfamiliar objects, choosing food, and giving directions. The beginner rule is straightforward: think near me, near you, and away from both of us.

English speakers need to make one extra distinction. English normally uses “that” for both an object beside the listener and an object far from everyone. Korean commonly separates those situations with 그 and 저. In addition, 그 can refer to something already present in the conversation even when physical distance is irrelevant.

How It Works

The basic three-way contrast

Form	Beginner meaning	Main use	Example
이	this	near the speaker	이 의자 — this chair
그	that	near the listener, or previously mentioned	그 의자 — that chair
저	that over there	away from both speaker and listener	저 의자 — that chair over there

When 이, 그, and 저 modify a noun (a word naming a person, place, thing, or idea), they come directly before it:

이/그/저 + noun

• 이 커피 — this coffee
• 그 사진 — that photo
• 저 식당 — that restaurant over there

These forms do not change for singular and plural. 이 책 can mean “this book,” while 이 책들 means “these books” when 들 is used to make the group explicit. Korean often leaves number to context, so 들 is not automatically required whenever English uses “these” or “those.”

Choosing between 그 and 저

Use 그 for something in the listener's area:

• You are standing across a counter and the item is beside the clerk: 그거 얼마예요? — How much is that?
• The listener is holding a pen: 그 펜 좀 주세요. — Please give me that pen.

Use 저 when both people can identify something at a distance:

• You point to a mountain on the horizon: 저 산이 한라산이에요. — That mountain over there is Hallasan.
• You point across the street: 저 카페에서 만나요. — Let's meet at that café over there.

However, 그 is not limited to physical space. It also means “that” in the sense of “the one we have been discussing”:

• 어제 영화를 봤어요. 그 영화가 정말 재미있었어요. — I watched a movie yesterday. That movie was really interesting.

Here, the movie is not necessarily near the listener. 그 영화 points back to shared conversational information.

Referring to things: 이것, 그것, 저것

The word 것 means “thing” or “one.” Attach it when the expression stands on its own instead of modifying a named noun.

Full form	Common spoken form	Meaning
이것	이거	this; this thing
그것	그거	that; that thing / the one mentioned
저것	저거	that over there

Compare:

• 이 가방 — this bag
• 이것 / 이거 — this; this thing

You cannot normally use 이 alone to mean “this.” It needs a following noun or bound noun such as 것.

The full forms are common in careful writing and formal speech. The -거 forms are normal in everyday conversation and are not inherently impolite. Politeness comes mainly from the rest of the sentence: 이거 뭐야? is casual, whereas 이거 뭐예요? is polite.

Adding particles and using contractions

A particle is a short marker attached to a word to show its role in the sentence. Particles attach to the complete demonstrative expression:

Full combination	Frequent contraction	Function in plain English
이것은	이건	introduces “this” as the topic
이것이	이게	marks “this” as the subject
이것을	이걸	marks “this” as the object
그것은	그건	introduces “that” as the topic
그것이	그게	marks “that” as the subject
그것을	그걸	marks “that” as the object
저것은	저건	introduces “that over there” as the topic
저것이	저게	marks it as the subject
저것을	저걸	marks it as the object

The contractions are extremely common in speech and informal writing. For example, 이것은 제 거예요 is grammatically fine, but 이건 제 거예요 sounds more conversational: “This one is mine.”

Do not confuse 이거 with 이게. 이거 is the conversational form of 이것 without a visible particle; 이게 contains the subject particle 이: 이것이 → 이게.

Places: 여기, 거기, 저기

The same three-way pattern appears in place words:

Place word	Meaning	Point of reference
여기	here	near the speaker
거기	there	near the listener, or a place already mentioned
저기	over there	away from both

These place words can take particles: 여기는 “here, as for this place,” 거기에 “there/to that place,” and 저기에서 “at/from over there.” In speech, 에서 often contracts after them: 여기서, 거기서, 저기서.

The forms 이곳, 그곳, and 저곳 also mean “this place,” “that place,” and “that place over there.” They are useful in writing, signs, descriptions, and more deliberate speech. In ordinary conversation, 여기, 거기, and 저기 are usually more natural.

People and polite reference

Before 사람 “person,” the pattern is regular:

• 이 사람 — this person
• 그 사람 — that person / the person mentioned
• 저 사람 — that person over there

Be careful with tone. Pointing at someone and saying 이 사람 or 저 사람 can sound blunt, especially when the person can hear you. Korean often uses a name, title, relationship term, or the more respectful noun 분:

• 이분 — this person, respectfully
• 그분 — that person / he or she, respectfully
• 저분 — that person over there, respectfully

For an unknown person in a service or social setting, 저분은 누구세요? “Who is that person over there?” is generally more courteous than 저 사람은 누구예요?

Examples in Context

Korean	English	Note
이것은 뭐예요?	What is this?	Full form with the topic particle 은
이거 맛있어요.	This is delicious.	Natural spoken 이거
이 우산은 제 거예요.	This umbrella is mine.	이 directly modifies 우산
그 책 주세요.	Please give me that book.	The book is near the listener or already identified
그거 누구 가방이에요?	Whose bag is that?	Spoken form of 그것
어제 그 식당에 갔어요.	I went to that restaurant yesterday.	A restaurant already known or mentioned
저 건물이 학교예요.	That building over there is a school.	Distant from both speakers
저게 남산타워예요.	That over there is N Seoul Tower.	저것이 → 저게
여기 앉으세요.	Please sit here.	Place near the speaker
거기에서 기다리세요.	Please wait there.	Place by the listener or already specified
저기 사람이 많아요.	There are many people over there.	A visibly distant place
이분은 김 선생님이에요.	This is Teacher Kim.	Respectful reference to a person
그분을 알아요?	Do you know that person?	Respectful; person known from context
이건 사고 그건 안 살게요.	I'll buy this one, but not that one.	Contrasting two choices
어느 것이 더 좋아요, 이거 아니면 저거?	Which is better, this one or that one over there?	Comparing objects in separate zones

Common Mistakes

Using 이, 그, or 저 by itself

• Wrong: 이 뭐예요?
• Right: 이것은 뭐예요? / 이거 뭐예요?
• Why: Before a noun, 이 means “this,” as in 이 책. To say “this” on its own, use 이것 or conversational 이거.

Treating every English “that” as 그

• Wrong: 그 건물이에요. when pointing to a building far from both speakers
• Right: 저 건물이에요.
• Why: English “that” covers more than one Korean zone. Use 저 for something visibly away from both speaker and listener.

Using 저 for something already mentioned

• Wrong: 어제 책을 샀어요. 저 책이 재미있어요. when the book is only being discussed, not pointed out at a distance
• Right: 어제 책을 샀어요. 그 책이 재미있어요.
• Why: 그 refers naturally to shared or previously mentioned information. 저 normally directs attention to something distant and identifiable.

Mixing up 이거 and 이게

• Wrong: 이거 좋아요? when you specifically mean “Is this the good one?” and need an explicit subject contrast
• Right: 이게 좋아요?
• Why: 이거 is “this” in conversational form, often with a particle omitted. 이게 is the contraction of 이것이, with the subject marker included. Both can occur naturally, but they do not encode exactly the same structure.

Referring to people too bluntly

• Less appropriate: 저 사람은 누구예요? in a polite introduction
• Better: 저분은 누구세요?
• Why: 사람 is neutral in meaning but may sound impersonal when you point at someone. 분 and the honorific verb ending in 누구세요? show respect.

Usage Notes

Korean speakers do not calculate distance with a fixed number of metres. The three zones are conversational: what matters is how speaker and listener understand the scene. An object on a table between both people might be described with 이, 그, or even 저, depending on who controls it, who is drawing attention to it, and how the space is mentally divided.

English sometimes uses “this” for a current topic and “that” for emotional distance: “This is important” or “I don't like that idea.” Korean also extends demonstratives beyond physical pointing, but the best choice often depends on discourse rather than a direct English match. 그 문제 usually means “that issue” already known to both people. 이 문제 can present an issue as immediate or currently under examination.

In shops, restaurants, and markets, spoken forms are especially common: 이거 주세요 “Please give me this,” 그거 말고 저거요 “Not that one—the one over there,” and 이게 얼마예요? “How much is this?” Adding 요 or using a polite sentence ending makes the request suitable for ordinary service interactions.

저기요 deserves special attention. Literally related to “over there,” it functions as a polite attention-getter: “Excuse me.” You can use it to call a server or get a stranger's attention. It is not simply a location answer in that use.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these details at A1, but you will encounter them later.

Demonstratives can organize whole conversations

In connected speech and writing, 이 often presents something as close to the speaker's current viewpoint, while 그 points to shared, quoted, or previously introduced material. This produces common expressions such as 그때 “at that time,” 그 후 “after that,” 그 이유 “that reason,” and 그렇게 “like that.” The system therefore helps Korean maintain links between sentences.

The pattern extends to manner and degree

Related forms preserve the same initial contrast:

Near the speaker/current point	Near the listener or known context	Away from both	General meaning
이렇게	그렇게	저렇게	like this / like that
이런	그런	저런	this kind of / that kind of
이만큼	그만큼	저만큼	this much / that much

These are not interchangeable word-for-word with English. For example, 그렇게 생각해요 means “I think so” or “I think that way,” and 그런 사람 means “that kind of person.” Learn them as an extension of the same perspective system.

그 can resemble an English definite article—but is not one

Korean has no direct equivalent of English “the.” In some contexts, 그 appears where English uses “the” because the noun has already been identified: 그 남자는 다시 오지 않았어요 “The man did not come back.” Do not therefore add 그 before every noun translated with “the.” Korean frequently uses a bare noun when the reference is already clear.

Psychological distance can affect the choice

Writers and speakers may choose 이 to make a subject feel immediate and 그 to recall shared material. 저 can present a visible scene from afar and may carry a reflective tone in literary language. These are stylistic tendencies, not beginner substitution rules. Physical and conversational context remain the safest guide.

Practice Tips

1. Map a real room into three zones. Hold one object, place another beside a study partner or imagined listener, and choose a third across the room. Name each one with 이, 그, or 저, then replace the noun with 이거, 그거, or 저거.
2. Practise complete shopping exchanges. Point and say 이거 얼마예요?, 그거 보여 주세요, and 저거 주세요. Then repeat with 이건, 그게, and 저걸 so the common contractions become familiar.
3. Track reference across two sentences. Introduce a noun, then mention it again with 그 + noun: 친구가 카페를 추천했어요. 그 카페에 내일 갈 거예요. This trains the important “previously mentioned” use that physical pointing practice can miss.

Related Concepts

• Foundation: This concept has no listed prerequisite; you can learn the three-way pointing system from the beginning.
• Useful next steps: Study Korean particles to use forms such as 이건, 그게, and 저걸 accurately.
• Useful next steps: Study honorific language to choose naturally between 사람 and respectful 분 when referring to people.